Rest In Play - 2010 thru 2019

Jack Friedman, American entrepreneur, businessman, veteran of the toy and video game industries, and philanthropist, passed away on May 3, 2010. Friedman is the founder of three toy companies: LJN,... THQ, and Jakks Pacific. LJN hosted a line of toys and video games based on movies, television shows, and celebrities. Initial success was found through making merchandise from the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Friedman himself met Michael Jackson and Brooke Shields, eventually making dolls based off of them. In 1985, MCA acquired 63% of LJN Toys, and Friedman left the company two years later. THQ came next, and Friedman worked on adapting video games from popular films, including Darksiders, De Blob, Destroy All Humans!, and Saints Row. In 1994, Friedman left the company to found his next business venture. In 1995, Friedman co-founded Jakks Pacific with Stephen G. Berman. Within the first year, Friedman signed a licensing agreement with Titan Sports, giving Jakks Pacific exclusive rights to develop action figures based on the WWF's wresting personalities, such as Stone Cold Steve Austin. In April 2010, Friedman retired as CEO and became Chairman Emeritus. Friedman was an avid supporter of the company's Jakks Cares program, which donated to organizations including Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, the Special Olympics, and Feed the Children. In 2009, Jakks Pacific was recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the "Top 20 Corporate Philanthropists in Los Angeles" and as a "Power Player Philanthropist" by the Toy Industry Foundation.Show more

James R. Becker, founder of Anjar, passed away on August 11, 2011. Becker founded Anjar in 1968. Anjar is an acronym for his four sons and daughter, Arto, Neil, Jonathan, Roger, and Nancy. Prior to fo...unding Anjar, Becker was the president of Lakeside Toys. Some of the toys that Becker played a role in the development and/or licensing of many toys over the course of his lifetime, including Gumby, Pokey, Barrel of Monkeys, Disappearing Magic Baby Bottle, Nerf Ping Pong, Battle Dome, The Betsy McCall Fashion Designer Set, Elmo's Trike, Barbie 'Really Works' Activity Toys, 'Land Before Time' Hand Puppets, Shirt Pocket Games, GI Joe Earthquake Vehicle, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Foldable Flying Saucers, Grabbin' Dragons, and hundreds more. Becker received the International Designers & Inventors of Toys award in 2005, and a TAGIE award in 2011. He was also inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame in 2018. Anjar is now run by Becker's son and daughter-in-law, Jonathan and Patti Becker.Show more

Saul Robbins was born on February 16, 1922 and died on June 13, 2010. He was an American toy manufacturer and the co-founder of Remco. Remco's first toys were children's walkie talkies, and they we...re the first company to use television advertising. Other toys produced include the Whirlybird helicopter, the Barracuda atomic submarine, the Johnny Reb cannon, the Dick Tracy wrist radio, the Screaming Men Mee-e rifle, and Mr. Kelly's Automatic Car Wash. Robbins was also the president of the Toy Manufacturers Association of America, and of the YM-YWHA of Metrowest. Saul Robbins married Ruth Fern and together they had two children.Show more

Isaac Heller was an American toy manufacturer and engineer, and the co-founder of the toy company Remco. He was born on July 23, 1926 and passed away on March 7, 2015. Remco's first products were c...hildren's walkie-talkies. They were the first toy company to use television advertising. Some other toys Remco produced include the Whirlybird helicopter, the Barracuda atomic submarine, the Johnny Reb cannon, the Dick Tracy wrist radio, the Screaming Men See-e rifle, and Mr. Kelly's Automatic Car Wash. In 1966, Heller sold Remco, and founded Heller Industrial Parks and became one of the largest industrial park owners and developers in the United States. In 1953, Heller married Helaine Hirsh, and together they had four daughters. They also were philanthropically involved in many causes that supported hospitals, community foundations, libraries, senior centers, and schools. Heller received the President's Citation Award from Cooper Union in 1999, and was inducted into the Cooper Union Alumni Hall of Fame. He also received a Humanitarian Award from the National Conference of the State of New Jersey.Show more

Jerry Lawson was an American electronic engineer most known for his work in designing the Fairchild Channel F video game console and was a part of the team that pioneered the commercial video game car...tridge. In 1982, Black Enterprise named Lawson the "father of the video game cartridge." He also founded the game company Video-Soft, a video game development company that made software for the Atari 2600. In March 2011, a month before his death, Lawson was honored as an industry pioneer for his work on the game cartridge concept by the International Game Developers Association. He was honored with the ID@Xbox Gaming Heroes award. The World Video Game Hall of Fame at the Strong National Museum of Play has a permanent display of Lawson's contribution to the gaming industry. The Los Angeles Unified School District named Elementary School #11 Gerald A. Lawson Academy of the Arts, Mathematics and Science. He and his work are featured in a number of films, documentaries, and television episodes including Profiles of African American Success, High Score, Command Line Heroes, and The Toys that Built America.Show more

Stanley was an American inventor and licensing agent who created the G.I. Joe toy line in 1963. He sold the rights to Hasbro for just $100,000 dollars.

Invented Spin Master Toy's Zero Gravity wall climbing cars. Inventor of many feature RC toys for Spin Master, Mattel, Bandai, and Tyco. Always looking for new major toy company relationships. 35+ year...s inventing toys for the major toy companies. Read More...Show more

October 4, 1923 – March 22, 2018 Founder of Toys “R” Us, has passed away at the age of 94. The seeds for Lazarus’ vision to create a super market-like store just for toys were planted back ...in 1948 with his children’s furniture store, Children’s Bargain Town. Intended to cater to the post-war baby boom, over time his focus shifted solely to toys. He restructured the business in the late 1950s and, with the supermarket format, opened the first Toys “R” Us location in 1957. By 1978, under the Toys “R” Us name (backwards R and all), his business became a public company and his vision, a reality. In the 1980s, TRU was in its prime under Lazarus’ watch, with the “Toys R Us Kid” jingle etched into every child’s brain. By 1983, TRU diversified its portfolio with the addition of Kids “R” Us clothing stores opening their doors in New Jersey and New York. By the following year, the company had both a nationwide and worldwide presence with wholly-owned locations in Canada and licensed operations in Singapore. Lazarus stepped down in 1994 but remained a figure on the board as Chairman Emeritus. That year, he handed the reigns off to Michael Goldstein, who ran the company until 1998. But the toy mogul was known as much within the industry for his work as he was for his giving. In 1985, Lazarus brought industry members together for a benefit gala in New York to raise money to improve the health and well-being of children. By 1992, this came to be known as the Toys “R” Us Children’s Fund, which now receives millions in donations that go to nonprofits for child health and safety. He was inducted into the Toy Association Hall of Fame in 1990 and received the National Retail Federation’s Gold Medal Award in 1995, recognizing his leadership and his role in revolutionizing the toy and juvenile product industries Of the news of his passing, Goldstein described Lazarus as not only his mentor but as a second father to him. Goldstein says of the conversations he shared with Lazarus that the only regrets they both had are of the employees who will lose their jobs, the suppliers who will lose their best customer, and the children who will never experience Toys “R” Us. Read original article here https://www.anbmedia.com/news/2018/03/charles-p-lazarus-founder-of-toys-r-us-has-died/Show more

Beau James, a 40-year veteran of the toy industry, received the 2019 ASTRA Lifetime Achievement Award shortly before his passing, the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) announced. ... “Beau was known far and wide as one of the most experienced and knowledgeable professionals in the specialty toy business,” said Kimberly Mosley, president of ASTRA. “He knew this market inside out. He was an enthusiastic supporter of ASTRA’s role in helping specialty retailers prosper from the very earliest days when back when ASTRA was launched, and he continued his support in so many ways over many years. On behalf of the ASTRA Board of Directors, we are grateful that we had the opportunity to present this award to Beau with our heartfelt congratulations and let him know how much he has meant to so many. Thank you, Beau, for all you did for our industry.” For many, Beau was the “doll guy” – a reputation that started in his early days with International Playthings, then the distributor of Sasha dolls by Trendon Ltd., and continued in his tenures with Madame Alexander, Gotz, and Corolle. More recently, he was managing director of KidSource, the U.S.-based distribution company bringing European products into the U.S. He served on the ASTRA Board of Directors and as a consultant—both formally and informally—to many in the industry. Ream more here https://www.anbmedia.com/news/toys/2019/04/kidsources-beau-james-is-dead-honored-with-astra-lifetime-achievement-award/Show more

November 23, 1929 to September 20, 2013 After serving as a Lieutenant in U.S. Naval Intelligence, in 1956 he started his career in the toy industry with Simon & Schuster. From 1977 through 1994, Le...n held executiveroles at Topper Toys, Matchbox and Corgi and served as president of the Toy, Hobby, Educational Group for Damon Corp overseeing many toy companies, include Estes Rockets, Arrow Industries, Hi Flyer Kites and more. Then Len became the lead director and chief strategic officer of Active Media Services, an international trading company with 14 offices worldwide. He also served three terms on the Board of Directors of the Toy Manufacturer’s Association of America now known as the Toy Association. The apple does not fall far from the tree as Len's two sons, Robert Fuhrer and David Fuhrer are also well known toy industry leaders.Show more